What about Bob?

I went to two Yankees games during the last home week of the season: One on Monday, September 17 and one on Sunday, September 23. Noticeably absent at both of those games were Bob Sheppard. I was more than a little bit worried.

During the telecast on Friday, Sept. 21, Michael Kay informed the folks watching at home that Sheppard was out with laryngitis and would be back in time for the playoffs. Now, Sheppard is no spring chicken. He won’t admit his age but the Yankees say he is just a few days shy of 97. He’s been doing games since 1951 or all of the years that my dad has been a fan (and just one year short of my father’s entire life).

A 97-year-old coming down with laryngitis is certain not a Good Thing. Today, SI.com via the Associated Press gave an update on Sheppard in this notebook. Reading between the lines, the prognosis is not good:

Sheppard wasn’t at the final homestand of the season because of laryngitis, and as of Wednesday it wasn’t clear whether “The Voice of God” will recover by the weekend. If Sheppard isn’t back, longtime backup Jim Hall will be behind the mike.

Sheppard’s birthday is reportedly Friday, October 12, and while he missed the Cubs last World Series victory by two years, he’s lived an incredibly long life. The fact that he still announces the games – even if his voice has slipped a bit over the last few years – is amazing. In fact, up until recently, he did the New York Giants games as well.

Meanwhile, Newsday’s Jim Baumbach has a few more details. According to Mary Sheppard, Bob’s wife, Bob is recovering from “a bronchial laryngitis infection.”

“It’s hanging on,”she said said. “He can talk now. But it needs rest.”

I don’t like this news. Sheppard’s been out for three weeks and any time a 97-year-old has an infection that’s “hanging on,” there’s reason to worry. The day Bob goes would be a very sad day indeed in Yankee history.

He would have lived forever if the Yanks had not decided to tear down Yankee Stadium. Who knows, maybe he’s just decided he’s had enough of the endless seventh inning breaks for Kate Smith, let alone the YMCA, which is far more overdue for retirement than Bob Shepard or the current ballpark.

Count Zero

I took my seven-year-old daughter to her first game at the Stadium in July. I made it a very special point to get her to listen to Sheppard, and I explained to her how he had been there announcing the game when I went to my very first Yankee game in 1965. I also told her all about how we Yankee fans refer to Sheppard as “The Voice of God” which she thought was very funny.

At the time, I had an inexplicable feeling that it might be her only chance to hear him. I hope I was wrong. :-(

Ron

His voice could live forever if the Yankees had the foresight to use one of those software voice recognition programs that record every syllable he’s ever uttered and then reconstruct to have him say whatever you want. Why do we fans have to think of everything?

Mills

i was at the giants game this past weekend and i could SWEAR he was still doing the play calls. if it wasn’t him it was someone purposely trying to emulate him in ever way.

My son here in AZ feels that the voice on the Yankee stadium bound subway trains should be a recording of bob Sheppard,announcing the arrival to Yankee stadium.You have a true baseball legend in your announcer, honor him.

Al

heck, I’m a Red Sox fan and I wish him the best. It definitely wasn’t the same not hearing him during the Indians series.